The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the missile was launched from the Wonsan area at around 5 p.m. the previous day, without disclosing details about its flight distance or other specifications, saying that it was analyzing the launch with the U.S.
"We are strengthening monitoring and surveillance against potential additional launches, maintaining a full readiness posture and closely sharing relevant data with the U.S. and Japan," the JCS said.
Thursday's launch was the North’s 10th ballistic missile launch of this year and its first such launch in more than a month, following North Korea's tests on June 25 of tactical weapons capable of striking targets in South Korea, along with a new multiple rocket launcher system and other military equipment with its leader Kim Jong-un in attendance.
The launch came just ahead of South Korea's upcoming joint military exercise with the U.S., dubbed Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), scheduled to take place later this month.
North Korea has long criticized the annual exercise, calling it a "rehearsal for an invasion" by what it describes as "warmongers."
Shortly after the launch, South Korea's presidential National Security Office held an emergency meeting with officials from the Defense Ministry and the JCS to assess the situation. They condemned the launch as a "provocation" that violates United Nations Security Council resolutions and called on North Korea to immediately halt such actions.
Separately, the U.S. military said it remains committed to defending the U.S. and its allies, while assessing that the launch did not pose an "immediate threat."
Meanwhile, North Korea remained mum on the launch, unlike its usual practice of covering such tests the following day.
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